Japanese make building donation for O.W. high school

On Monday, the government of Japan donated one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars for a garbage truck; today it was the Bishop Martin High School to benefit from a brand new school building. The Embassy of Japan visited the school in Orange Walk to sign a contract for the financial contribution for the new building. Here’s how that contract signing went at Bishop Martin High School.

Shinichi Yamanaka, Counsellor, Embassy of Japan

Shinichi Yamanaka

“We will sign a contract valued 103, 624 USD or 207,248 Belize dollars for one project being implemented under the grant assistance for Grassroots Human Security project of the Government of Japan. As you witness today, the Government of Japan highly values education in the context of our grassroots development assistance. Our policy places focus on human protection and the empowerment of people. As we all know, a good education is related to the classroom, home and the community. A good education requires not just a strong curriculum, but dedicated and professional teachers, students who are motivated to learn. We also need adequate resources and facilities, in addition to parents and community that support and highly value education. Therefore, a good education requires enormous efforts by everyone involved.”

Luis Pook

Luis Pook, Principal, Bishop Martin High School

“We don’t often get gifts of a hundred thousand US dollars plus at the school. And we are very happy that we are able to celebrate such an occasion today. I was also telling the students that what will happen today isn’t so much about the teachers, or the Minister, or Mr Yamanaka. This is about them because the students in first, second and third form, particularly, because the fourth form will be graduation, will make use of the building that will be constructed with the funds that we are getting through the Japanese grassroots project. So, of the 388 students of this school, practically all of them will be able to – in the case of the seniors they will be able to see the building – in the case of those first, second, third formers they will be able to enjoy the building facilities. So, this building students, is really about you. It is for you.”

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